Human
by crystalquirt
Summary: Angst, disturbing themes, violence.
1. Chapter 1

Human

Part 1 – The worst comes true!

Kong Li wins! The prophesy comes true!

WolfieStar [Star-the-Buizel on fanfiction. net] and Crystalquirt put their heads together to come up with this one. Many thanks to Star!

This is one of the stories in the 'Angel Trilogy'. Devil nor Angel have to be read first. They don't have anything to do with each other. I only called these stories a 'trilogy' because they have a similar theme at the end.

ANGEL was the ONLY STORY that was Sibey.

Devil was TOBUE, and now, human is TOBUE or NO SHIPPINGS. [Not sure yet]

Kong Li attacks 'Nana', Mei Hua Wu and her three teenaged guardians at home at Wu's Garden. This time, Kong Li wins. Sue was left alone after the fight to survive on her own. Sue is left alone in the world and has no choice but to return to the streets where she and Sid spent two years of their very young lives learning to survive after their parents died. With Nana and the boys gone, Sue is the world's only hope, but fighting just to survive, can she still save everyone from Kong Li's tyranny alone?

~ No chance . . .

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Silence fell over Wu's Garden like a death shroud. Nana, Sue and Tobey standing around Kong Li at the ready for the fight to continue, though one was already down. Sid already lie on the ground on his side, holding his knee against his chest, a pained look on his face. He gritted his teeth and tried over and over to get up, to stand with Sue, Tobey and Nana, but groaned and fell each time. Sue and Tobey exchanged worried looks, but knew they had to finish with Kong Li before they could help Sid.

Kong Li threw his cape back and pointed his red dragon-headed staff at Nana. "This is it Mei Hua – this is the end for you and your rejects!"

"Never Kong Li, I will never let you win! Kids – take him down!"

Nana meant Tobey and Sue, very worried that one of her guardians was already out of the fight. She charged Kong Li with them of course, he had somehow already hurt Sid, and she intended to make sure nothing happened to Tobey and Sue and make Kong Li pay for hurting Sid.

Kong Li leapt straight up in the air to avoid the three of them. Sue had a hard time pulling back her strike, but she managed to stop just in time to keep her attack from taking Tobey out. When he saw her fist coming at his face, Tobey yelped and covered his head, but after she stopped they smiled at each other and quickly started toward Kong Li again.

Sue and Tobey stopped up short – seeing what Kong Li was doing. After his leap into the air, Kong Li landed over Sid, and with his staff poised over his head like a golf club asked, "How far do you think Sid's head will fly? Think it'll make it over the wall, at least?"

Caught helpless, Sid yelped and covered his head with one arm. Sue cried for her brother, Tobey yelled, "Leave him alone!" and angrily clenched his fists, but Nana attacked, not waiting to let Kong Li to even have a chance to stop their attack by threatening Sid's life. Nana got there before Kong Li even had a chance to bring the staff down. Sue and Tobey breathed a quick sigh of relief as they ran to help. Sid opened his eyes when he felt Sue grab his arm. It took Tobey and Sue both on each of his arms to pull him away.

Nana and Kong Li exchanged punches and blows in an impressive display of their skill while Sue and Tobey got Sid inside the restaurant. They guided Sid to sit back down in the hallway just inside the back door. "Sid, stay here – we'll handle this!" Sue cried as she turned to leave. Tobey said, "Take it easy buddy, we'll handle this!" and followed Sue back to the garden to help Nana. Sid managed to not scream in pain when they moved him, but now he was sure he had broken his leg.

As they ran out, a dark, humanoid shape-shifter appeared before Sue and grabbed her before she could block or jump away. Tobey screamed her name as he attacked the shifter in panic. Hearing Tobey yell Sue's name made Sid pull himself back to the door to see if they were okay.

Kong Li aimed a blast from his staff at Nana, but missed. The blast hit the wall next to the back door and over the storeroom. The wall and foundation under it crumbled in the magical blast. Sid was blown back from the door and landed rolling. He ended up on his stomach, groaning. Part of the hall ceiling came down on top of him and knocked him out.

The whole restaurant shook from the blast and Mr. Wu got mad, as was his nature. Nana's very large son came stomping out of the kitchen and saw Sid first, lying under the debris. He yelled, "I knew you three had something to do with this! Barney, come help Sid – then finish peeling the onions."

Mr. Wu continued to the garden to investigate further and see who else he should yell at, oblivious to what was going on. Barney came out of the kitchen and saw Sid lying under the debris, "Oh man – what happened?" he dropped to his knees next to Sid and tried to wake him, but to no avail. He started rolling chunks of ceiling off of his friend.

Outside, Shifty had Sue in his tentacles. She tried a water spell to loosen Shifty's hold on her, but it didn't work. Tobey ran in and kicked Shifty's butt, literally. "Let her go!" The shifter turned and smiled an evil smile at him. Shifty grew an extra arm just to punch Tobey with. Sue saw him trying to help her and saw him fall too. "Tobey! Aaaahrrgh!" She screamed angrily. "Gei Kow No!"

Fueled by her anger over Tobey being punched, the fire she created in her palm burned like it was burning jet fuel. The bright white flame was so hot it was blue at the base near her hand. And so hot that when she pressed it to the Shape Shifter's hide, he imploded. Reduced to a pile of smoking goo in an instant, Shifty moved no more. Tobey was up rubbing his chest where he was hit; still trying to catch his breath.

Nana had Kong Li backed into the corner where the garden wall met the building. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a vial.

They both looked over at Nana and saw Kong Li holding up the vial. They knew that a vial of any kind in Kong Li's hand, always meant trouble. Suddenly, a hulking mass blocked their vision, Tobey cried, "Mr. Wu!" Sue shouted, "No!"

Just then, Kong Li knocked Nana down and her son saw it happen. Mr. Wu roared angrily, "I don't know who you are – but for hurting my mother, I will kill you!" Years of Mr. Wu's wrath and anger welled up and he intended to let this 'home invader' have it all!

Mr. Wu ran at Kong Li, and he threw the vial when Mr. Wu body slammed him, but he totally missed his intended target, Nana. It did however, land at Sue and Tobey's feet and exploded when it hit the ground.

In the blast, Tobey was thrown against the wall and slumped against it, unconscious before he landed. Sue was blown through the hole in the building that Kong Li made earlier. She fell all the way down through another caved-in hole in the floor that put her in the storeroom. She landed on her back, moaning.

With fear in her heart like she had never experienced before, Nana watched Sue and Tobey being caught in the explosion. She could see that Tobey wasn't moving, but didn't even know where Sue landed. Her attention went back to her innocent son, now fighting her most dangerous enemy alone. When she tried to stand up a sharp pain in her leg put her back down.

When Mr. Wu charged him again, Kong Li managed to get out of the way, screaming, "You oaf! How dare you think you can interfere here!" Mr. Wu cursed back at him and threw a clumsy punch. Kong Li drank from another vial, his body glowed blue briefly as the potion increased his strength ten times.

When Mr. Wu tried to tackle him again, Kong Li pushed back. He actually pushed the large man backwards. Mr. Wu backpedaled, barely able to stay on his feet.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Down in the storeroom, Sue got up and found the doorway to the stairs blocked. She kept her head covered while she tried to get out since the ceiling and walls were still crumbling raining debris down on her. Seeing the only way out was the same way she got in, she stared to crawl up on the pile of rubble. She peeked over the edge and saw Tobey was still down, and so was Nana, but at least Nana was moving – Tobey wasn't. Sue grew even more worried and climbed faster. Just when she was ready to stand up, she looked up and saw the bulking mass that was Mr. Wu coming at her backwards and very quickly.

Kong Li pushed Mr. Wu into Sue and they both fell back down into the store room.

Sue barely managed to stay out from under Mr. Wu when he landed, but Kong Li followed his attack with a strong blast from his staff down where they fell. Mr. Wu saw it coming and rolled over Sue on purpose to protect her. His body protected her from the blast, but he was hit . . . and didn't move again. Now Sue was stuck under the weight of his body. Another blast rattled the restaurant and the lights went off.

Sue couldn't get out from under Mr. Wu no matter how hard she tried. She pushed, she pulled, she tried to crawl out from under him, all while she could barely breathe with his massive weight pressing down on her. At least he was soft. She pushed and shoved on everything she could reach with only one hand. Sue thought it was his shoulder that she was pushing on, but in the dark she wasn't sure.

Sue didn't know how long she lie under Mr. Wu's dead weight. Panicked at first because she was trapped, and later, exhausted from trying to free herself, it didn't occur to her to check on him. It was just as well, there was nothing she could do, but if she hadn't been trapped and panicked, she would have realized sooner that he was no longer breathing.

It did occur to her finally that he had been unconscious for a long time, and became worried about him when she calmed down. She checked him, she could reach his neck anyway, but couldn't find a pulse or any sign of breathing. Sue screamed and started crying.

"Mr. Wu! - No! You can't die – Barney needs you! We all need you!" She shook him as hard as she could and struggled to get out, until she wore herself out again. "Dammit! I can't even reach my phone."

While she rested and caught her breath, it occurred to her that it had gotten very quiet outside and no one had ever come to find her either. Sue started crying when she started to realized how hopeless the situation really was. She was sad for Mr. Wu, scared for the rest of her family and not knowing what happened, was really freaking her out again.

Also, not knowing how much time had passed, at least after a while, Sue calmed down enough to feel around again, as far as she could reach with her one free hand. She thought maybe she could grab something solid and use it to help her pull herself out from under Mr. Wu's body.

The only thing she could find in the dark to touch wasn't secured to anything, but she grabbed it anyway. Still gasping for air, she realized it was something metal and long. It was a mop with a metal handle that Tobey had left leaning against the wall. With all the explosions and damage, it had fallen where she could reach the handle.

Holding her breath and pushing as hard as she could, she shoved the mop handle between her stomach and Mr. Wu's chest. Just getting that far, she had to stop again to catch her breath. But after only a few moments, she forced herself to work at it some more.

She pushed up on the head of the mop as hard as she could, praying she wouldn't bend it. Using it like a lever, she pushed and wiggled and finally got her other arm free. She rolled Mr. Wu just enough that she could finally get out. Somewhere though, still under the large man was her shoe.

Now that she wasn't being squished and could breathe, she paused to really check Mr. Wu. She found his skin cold and there was no sign of life at all. Sadly she turned and went back toward the hole in the wall and ceiling. She climbed up the pile of debris again and looked around. It was morning; dawn was peeking over the Garden wall.

Tobey was gone from where she saw him last fall so she ran to Nana first. She stopped and started screaming when she saw Nana's lifeless eyes staring into space. Her skin felt even colder than Mr. Wu's and she knew she had died too. She fell across her Nana's body, her ear pressed against her chest trying to hear the smallest sound, but nothing.

She took out her phone and dialed 911 but there was no answer. That puzzled her. Then her connection was lost. She tried again, but found no reception at all. "Oh man – why is no one here yet anyway? How can a restaurant in the middle of Chinatown be destroyed and no one notice!"

Sue jumped up and ran inside frantically looking for Sid, but couldn't find him or Barney either. In the dining room, Sue sank to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably until she wore herself out and fell asleep right there on the floor.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

She didn't wake up until evening, and still, no one else had shown up to find out what happened. "Did no customer's even stop by?" She got up again to look around. Mr. Wu's body was still in the storeroom. She went out in the garden and sat by Nana's body. Talking to her like she were still alive; wishing for her guidance.

"I love you so much Nana . . . You were like a mother to Sid, Tobey, and me. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful teacher . . ." Sue whispered. "Thank you . . . For everything . . ."

When Sue had finally calmed down enough, she looked down at Nana one last time, and one more tear rolled down her face. She ran her fingers through Nana's hair, and bent down to kiss her cheek.

Slowly, Sue realized that she wouldn't be able to stay at Wu's anymore. Wu's was in ruins, and the worst part was that Nana and Mr. Wu were dead, and the three boys were still nowhere to be seen. She was afraid she would be taken back to the orphanage. "I can't go back – I can't!" she cried out loud. To her, the orphanage was hell on Earth, and she didn't want to go back there under any circumstances.

"I . . . I have to go back to the streets . . ." Sue whispered. "I thought I never would go back there . . . Not without Sid certainly . . . but . . ." she paused as she heard a commotion and voices of people shouting angrily near by. Realizing that now was the time to run, Sue gave one last look at her Nana's corpse, then sprinted out through the garden gate.

Sue ran as far from Wu's as she could, and didn't look back. When she was far away from the old restaurant, she stopped running and leaned forward with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Overcome with grieve, she started sobbing again, remembering what Sid had told her when her parents died:

"We can never go to an orphanage . . . No one would ever adopt us together, we would definitely be separated, and never again would we see each other. The only way we can stay together is if we live on the streets." At first, Sue didn't want to believe it, she didn't want to live on the streets, but at that age, she listened to everything her older brother had told her.

She was only four at the time, and for two years, she and Sid lived on the streets together, digging in trash for food, stealing from stands or garage sales, anything to stay alive. They made a makeshift house out of a large cardboard box and blankets. One day they stole a cooler from a salesman, and they used it to store food they found.

Sue and Sid barely survived on the streets, but they did survive for those two years. They both became masters at stealing anything they needed, or wanted. No adults could catch them, and they always refused any help from anyone, for fear of becoming too close to someone and then losing them again, just like what happened to their parents.

Until one day, someone had succeeded in catching them. It was a volunteer who worked at Chinatown Orphanage, and he took the two there, where they stayed for two more years. Because they still didn't trust anyone, at times they tried to escape the orphanage, but never made it. They never listened to the volunteers, and always misbehaved, not wanting to grow any relationships with anyone, no one but each other.

Tobey was in a similar situation, and he understood the siblings. Eventually, they became the best of friends, and the three helped each other heal and grow bonds with other kids and respect their elders. It was because of Tobey and the help and love of each other that Nana had found them and took them in.

But now, they were all gone. Sid, her brother that helped her with everything life threw at her. Tobey, her best friend she could always count on. Nana, her wonderful teacher and the one who actually treated Sue like a daughter. Mr. Wu, Barney, they were gone too. All of them. Gone.

Sue took a deep breath, not wanting to start crying again. Then she remembered where her and Sid set up their makeshift house. It was in a secluded alley, and plant life and dumpsters covered it from anyone noticing it. The plant life covered the cardboard box from all weather conditions, so the area was a fairly good place to go.

She looked all around, making sure nobody saw her, then started walking towards the place where she and Sid spent two years of their lives. She walked past Cornelius Street, and then stopped in an alley about seven blocks away from Eunice's Penthouse.

Slowly, she walked down the alley, then saw some large leaves from trees in the house next door covering the far corner of the alley. A large dumpster sat about a yard in front of the leaves.

Walking past the dumpster and pulling the leaves away, she let out a small sound of surprise when she saw that the old cardboard box and blankets were still there, even after all these years. The cardboard was falling apart, and there were so many holes and rips in the blankets that lined the box.

"I can't believe . . . After all these years, no one hasn't found this place . . . Sid was right, this is an amazing hiding place!" she paused, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks again. She took another deep breath, then stared at the box again.

Then she realized, how was she going to survive without anyone to help her? She knew she wouldn't be able to make it on her own. Were Sid, Tobey, and Barney even alive? Did Kong Li get the cookbook from the scholar stone? Of course he did, but what was he going to do exactly?

". . . and what am I gonna do . . ." Sue sighed, and let the tears fall down her face. She arranged the dirty blankets in the box, then slowly curled up into a small ball on top of the blankets. She took one of the blankets and wrapped it around herself, a cold breeze making her shiver. Eventually, she drifted off to a deep, but fitful sleep.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue was so upset over losing, Nana, well, losing everyone, that she hadn't given much thought to the enormity of the situation, but Kong Li had won. He would have the cookbook by now and Mei Hua "Nana" Wu was no longer an obstacle to prevent him from carrying out his evil plans on the whole world!

While Sue slept in her box, Kong Li took down Nana's barrier that had kept his evil magic contained for so long. Had Sue been awake, she probably would have heard the villain laughing his evil laugh. His laughter echoed through the streets of Chinatown for all to hear.

Kong Li thought he had killed Sue too, he was so sure he never checked, and he was way too involved in breaking into the scholar stone to get the cookbook anyway, while Nana's body lay on the ground getting cold.

Skipping happily, Kong Li was on his way to the dungeon. He already had his first slaves build the dungeons underground in preparation for when he finally won – he was so sure he would win. Now his castle could be completed over the top of the dungeons.

Kong Li was going to check on his first prisoners. The first group to have been captured included his traitorous son, Sid Yi and Barney Wu.

The three boys were chained in a line against a stone wall in a cold passageway. Their wrists had heavy metal cuffs locked on them connected to chains which stretched their arms over their heads. Tobey was the shortest so his arms and shoulders were strained the most of the three and he was still fidgeting, trying to cope with the discomfort. Tobey's leather wrist bands were missing, yanked off when he was chained up, but otherwise, Tobey and Barney still wore the clothes they had on when Kong Li attacked Wu's Garden. Tobey's usual white tank top, even though it had been a chilly night, and Barney wore his maroon sleeveless shirt and green pants.

Sid unfortunately, was shirtless and his black pants were down around his ankles. Hanging with only his boxers on, Sid's broken leg could be easily seen. His leg throbbed and caused him to drift in and out of consciousness. He did not start the evening with his pants down, but when the three boys were brought to the dungeons unconscious, Sid was the first one to wake up. He started fighting before Kong Li's minions got him chained to the wall.

Trying to silence and control Sid, who was screaming for his sister and cursing his captors, Kong Li stepped back, letting go of the fighting teen to let his minions deal with him.

"I won't let you get me all hot and sweaty Sid. Mink and Dawn, restrain him using however much force it takes!"

Mink and Dawn were Kong Li's newest shape shifters, a new recipe made these two appear female for the first time and they were a dark purple color instead of black. The two 'females' worked as an efficient team, grabbing Sid's arms and legs and spread-eagling him in mid air. Sid screamed even louder when his broken leg was stretched out and almost fainted right then. The only good thing was that the ends of the bone had been brought closer together, but still not really aligned enough to heal right.

After the shifter girls had Sid chained up, in-between Barney and Tobey on the wall, they got a little amorous with him, thinking him cute. Tobey woke up and begged them to leave Sid alone. Kong Li watched their antics patiently, smiling, and when it was over he walked up to Sid, observing his shirtless condition with his messed up hair and hickeys on his neck and chest.

Kong Li raised his eyebrow at the shifter girls, but chuckled, "It must have been the ginger I used in their recipe." The villain dismissed Mink and Dawn. Mink gave Sid's butt cheek a pinch before she left. Sid pressed his face to his arm, refusing to even look at her. All the fight he had in him was gone, his leg was oddly numb after all the rough treatment.

Back at Wu's, in the middle of the battle, Tobey had awakened, briefly, just in time to see Kong Li violently, kill Nana. Tobey got hysterical and Kong Li slammed him in the head with his staff to knock him out again. Once he got Tobey to the dungeon, Kong Li got impatient when he didn't wake up right away so he could boast about his victory. Totally not caring that Tobey had been hit in the head twice that evening and probably had a concussion injury, Kong Li wanted him awake so badly that he used a spell to force him to wake up, just to brag and torture him some more. He told him that he had killed Sue, knowing that it would really hurt him.

Tobey was very upset and his head really hurt by that time. The recipe Kong Li used on him not only forced him to wake up when his body wasn't naturally capable of it, it made him feel very weird too, a little nauseous and like he was actually right beside his body, instead of 'in' it. He didn't know what to do with all the emotions and horrible thoughts running around in his mind and he couldn't think clearly at all. Even though he was still awake, he had said nothing, and still, when Kong Li returned, he only stared into space. His mind had shut down, since Kong Li wouldn't let his body keep him unconscious.

Now too, with Kong Li's second visit and Tobey and Sid's conditions, Barney was the only one who spoke up. "Who are you? What have you done to everyone – where's my dad?"

"Oh yes, I guess we haven't officially met yet, grandson of Mei Hua; the deceased."

"What? No – you didn't kill my Nana did you?"

"Of course I did, and your father too. That dullard actually tried to stop me, to protect all of you!"

"Dad?" Barney whispered and started crying, he was so angry.

"Don't fret, I will take care of you three. You can even become officers in my army if you can somehow convince me that I can trust you. And Tobey, you already have special standing in my army and in my heart boy. You will come with me, willingly or not to the wishing well at Chung Lee park for me to finally cook the feast. That way the entire prophesy will be competed and I can get on with ruling the world!"

Sid watched Tobey's face while Kong Li chattered on and on. He could see no response or emotion in Tobey's face at all, it was like he wasn't listening. He would have thought Tobey fainted again, but his eyes were open.

Sid reacted to Kong Li's speech for Tobey. "You leave him alone. You don't need him! You can't make him part of this! I know he would rather die than join you – he said so. We would all rather die than join you!"

Barney gasped, "Wait – Die? I didn't even know that was an option! I'd like to reconsider."

"Barney!" Sid grumbled through his teeth. He had totally ruined the effect of Sid's speech.

Barney started sobbing for himself and his dad and the rest of his family again. Tobey still didn't react at all, and Sid started hanging on the chains trying to pull them out of the wall.

Kong Li laughed as he left the dungeon, all the way out into the hall they could hear him. He was going to get the ingredients for the feast.

Chained with his back to the wall, Sid was determined to get free – now he knew how Tobey felt in a small place. He turned around, crossing his arms in the chains in front of his body and walked, or rather hopped up the wall on one foot. His broken leg swinging uselessly, he went high so he could try to pull the chains straight out from the wall, but the damp, moss-covered wall was slippery and he fell. The cuffs around his wrists jerked him up short, his arms twisted and he screamed. Sid's wrists made a horrible cracking noise, his shoulders strained beyond the normal range of motion and he groaned some more, thinking now he had at least broken his wrists.

Tobey heard Sid's sounds of pain and a little life returned to his eyes as he became more aware. Whispering, "Sid," he slowly turned to watch Sid writhing in pain, and not being able to do anything to ease his friend's pain. . . made him feel totally useless, hopeless.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Tobey continued . . .


	2. Chapter 2

Human

Part 2

by Star and CQ

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue yelped and her eyes flashed open after hearing an explosion nearby. She sat up immediately, then groaned and slumped when she realized how sore she was. All the emotions of what happened the day before hit her like a wave, and a new flood of tears ran down her face. She was alone, and when she grew more alert of her surrounding, she realized that she had indeed, slept in a box.

Taking a deep breath, Sue stood up, just as she heard another explosion, only this one was closer. A lot closer, it shook the ground like an earthquake. She looked around, then cried out softly in distress when she saw the building across from the alley where she was, start to shake, then sway to the side, and finally crumble and collapse to the ground.

Sue quickly ran from her cover and was about to go over to the building to see if anyone was hurt, but froze when she saw three shape shifters slither over to the building. She hid behind the dumpster to see what they would do. The first shifter returned to it's humanoid form, and looked around. When the two others were beside it, it spoke.

"Master wants most of these buildings destroyed so we can have materials for his new castle. Do you think we have enough for him?" it asked.

The second one shook it's head. "I doubt it. We should get at least two or three more buildings."

The third one pointed to Eunice's Penthouse. "What about that one? And the ones nearby? They would work. They're made out of a good, solid materials. Strong enough for Master's castle."

The two other shape-shifter's nodded. They became a goop-like material, and started to follow the first, slithering like faceless snakes towards Eunice's Penthouse. Suddenly, one of them stopped in front of the building, next to the dumpster where Sue was hiding. It shifted into a dog, and started sniffing around the dumpster. Sue whimpered, scared to death he would sniff her out.

The shifter barked, "I smell human . . . feminine, teenager, hmm . . . it actually smells like that black-haired teenage male that Kong Li took from that restaurant."

"Is it a feminine version of the Master's son?" one of them asked. Shifter Dog shook his head.

"No, the other male. The one who was screaming for his sister, whatever a sister is . . ."

"A sister is a female blood relation to the person, in this case the male, who both share the same parents. I believe that's what 'sisters' are." the other one answered. "So are you sure you smell his sister?"

Shifter Dog sniffed some more, until Sue could see his nose poking around the edge of the dumpster. Sue remembered the magic fortune cookies Nana made them carry around. It was only supposed to be used in emergencies, and this seemed like an emergency!

Sue quickly pulled out a cookie from her pocket, and cracked it right away, not caring if the shifter's heard the cracking of the cookie. Blue swirly magic surrounded her, and in a flash of light, Sue started to shrink. Raven black fur started to cover her body, and she grew a tail. She continued to shrink and grew a tiny muzzle with a pink nose and long whiskers. Her ears grew and were shaped like ovals. Her fingers and toes started to grow claws on the ends, replacing her nails. When the transformation was over, Sue smiled inwardly. She had transformed into a small, black mouse.

Sue Mouse froze as Shifter Dog walked over to her, and started to sniff her. Now being a mouse, her instinct at the moment was to bolt and hide in or under the dumpster, but she was also curious, and she twitched her little nose at the dog.

Shifter-Dog grunted in annoyance at the little mouse. Sue-Mouse tilted her head slightly, and gave a soft squeak, and smiled, showing her little, but sharp, mouse teeth.

"False alarm . . . it's just a mouse." Shifter Dog returned to it's humanoid form, and started walking back towards the other two. "I thought I smelt human, and it really did smell like a feminine version of that boy we kidnapped, but . . ."

One of the shifters shrugged. "Mice hang out a lot around people. Who knows, maybe it had chewed on that girl's body."

Sue Mouse's ears pricked up at the word 'body'. "Eeek!" She darted under the dumpster, and poked her head out to listen to the rest of their conversation.

"Kong Li said he killed that girl . . . do you think he really did?" The shifter asked.

"Of course! Do you not trust our master?" The other shifter snapped.

"I do, but he never checked to see if she really was dead . . . she may not be dead and she may be running around the streets, completely alive." the shifter explained.

Sue-Mouse listened, then whispered, "They think I'm dead! 'Master' is obviously Kong Li . . . and , oh no – they said he thinks he got rid of everybody . . ." Her expression fell, and a small tear rolled down her furry cheek. "That might mean I'm the only one who survived."

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue-Mouse ran along the wall and up the outside of a drain-pipe. Super athletic, even as a mouse she had no trouble scaling the pipe and wall, intending to get to the roof so she could look around.

On the way up she learned the mice can indeed, cry real tears. With tears clouding her vision, she climbed and leapt from edge to edge as she remembered Nana, Mr. Wu, Tobey and Sid. Sid used to be all she had left for blood relatives – she had never felt so very alone before.

When Sid's and Tobey's faces flashed in her mind, she teetered on an edge for an instant, but recovered. "Did that jerk even kill Barney? Why would he do that? He was no threat to anyone."

She got up on top of the residential building, she thought she counted three stories, but could have lost track since she was mourning the loss of her family as she went. It seemed much taller than that. Her little mouse mouth fell open as she looked back down, over the ledge and down at what was left of the city she knew so well.

As far as she could see in any direction, Chinatown already looked like a war-torn third world city, like the ones she had seen on TV and movies. Buildings half and completely destroyed, people homeless, lost, some injured wandering the streets, warming themselves at barrels full of burning trash.

Kong Li created a reverse-magic barrier, similar to Nana's, but his barrier kept Chinatown's residence inside and kept anyone who came to investigate out. Even the army had nothing that would bring down his barrier. It was all part of his plan. As the day's passed and Kong Li got stronger, after his feast, the barrier would expand, making more of the surrounding area part of his kingdom.

A group of frightened citizens were trying to push their way into a building nearby, and the people already inside were trying to keep them out. "There's no more room here! This is ours!" she heard them screaming.

Sue sat up on the roof, watching and thinking. "If the cookie that turned me into a mouse is like Nana's other transformation cookies were, I should have about an hour before I return to normal." Then she added sadly, "Ha, I'll be upgraded to normal – that's what Sid told Tobey once when he was a dog."

Sue Mouse remembered other things about the caring family she once had and started crying again. As a mouse, she didn't have sleeves or tissues, so she wiped her nose on the ledge and rubbed her face with her paws before she started back down.

Running along the edge of the roof toward the drain-pipe, Sue didn't realize how much danger she was in, and not from anything Kong Li was doing. She had no idea how life really was for a mouse. If she did, she would know that running out in the open, especially high up off the ground was a really bad idea.

With a sudden flurry of feathers right over her, Sue Mouse panicked and fell off the ledge. "What the hell was that?" she squeaked as she fell, spinning through the air. Her question was answered when a owl's face appeared right in front of her. Her spinning fall halted, the owl caught Sue Mouse in its talons and flew to the top of the nearest electric pole, planning to eat her for dinner.

Sue Mouse squeaked as loudly as she could, but even if anyone heard her, they didn't care. On landing, the owl's claws ripped into her mouse shoulder and the side of her tiny body right behind her ribs.

"Squeeeeeeeee! I'm hardly even a bite for you, you big glutton!"

Regaining some of her senses, and survival response learned over time from all Nana's training, she used her little paws like the weapons they were, and bopped the owl on the beak when he bit at her. The owl stopped in the middle of trying to take his first bite, but just came right back at his dinner from a slightly different angle.

"Squeeeeeeee!" Sue screamed angrily and flipped herself over onto her back in his talons. She kicked the owl's beak repeatedly with both of her hind legs and chomped down as hard as she could on one of his toes with her razor sharp teeth.

The owl screeched and faltered. Sue got out of his grip and fell a short distance before she grabbed onto the pole. With great mouse effort, she pulled herself inside a knot sized hole about two feet from the top of the pole. The hole wasn't even big enough for her to turn around in, but the owls short beak couldn't reach her after she pulled her tail under her body.

Lying in the hole, panting and listening to the angry owl who lost his lunch, Sue found it very hard to calm down. She was having such stress her chest started to hurt and she wondered if mice had heart attacks. She thought she remembered from science class that they could.

The owl lost interest after a while and flew away. Stuck headfirst in the hole, Sue knew she could back up, but that would mean she had to 'back' out and wouldn't be able to look around for the owl before she exposed her rear end. She lied on her belly worrying about it until the adrenaline wore off and she started to feel the pain from the holes made by the owl's claws in her side and shoulder.

"Ow, I didn't realize he clawed me this bad. Oh crap - what's the point, I should have just let him eat me. I wonder if I die as a mouse, if I will still go to people heaven so I will be with Sid and Tobey. I wonder what happens to mice when they die."

Sue whined a little, sounding like the soft squeaking from a video player rewinding and had come to a decision after some more time had passed. 'I have to get out of here, I want if nothing else, to let Kong Li know he didn't kill me and cause as much damage to his plans as I can for as long as I can. I wonder how long it has been. Uh oh, if I return to normal while I'm in here I'll be crushed! I have to try to get out, I don't have any idea how long I've been in here, I guess it's now or never.'

Hoping the owl was gone and nothing else was waiting to eat her, Sue started backing out. She waved her tail around a little to see if anybody tried to bite it and when nothing did, she backed out the rest of the way.

She quickly looked around, "It should be easy for a mouse to run down this old wooden pole." But before she got eight inches, the owl was on her again, "Squeeeeee – AAAAahhhh!" In the middle of his attack, Sue changed back into a human. The owl panicked and flew away, vowing to never again hunt little black mice.

However, Sue missed grabbing the pole with her human fingers and fell, bracing herself for the pain she knew was coming. Her hands flailed about and grabbed onto one of the electric wires. Her body fell across the other two wires. She screamed again, expecting to be electrocuted, but wasn't. No place in Chinatown still had electric power or phone service.

"Oh, thank goodness. I never thought I'd be so happy that the power was out. What will Tobey do without his video games? . . . Oh. . . Damn. I'm gonna find Kong Li!"

Sue climbed down the pole, her shoulder and ribs where the owl grabbed her mouse body, still had deep puncture wounds and hurt, blood had already stained her clothes, but she still had no trouble climbing and jumping down.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Over the next few days, Sue tried many times to even go near Kong Li's castle, let alone go inside, but there were always servants and loyal shape shifters that would see her. She didn't know if the boys were even alive, but she wanted to meddle with Kong Li's plan, and cause as much damage to anything that he claimed as his, as possible.

Several times out of desperation, Sue tried to infiltrate the castle, but a shape shifter or demon saw her, and tried to attack her. Sue managed to get away each time, but she kept going back to try again. Thinking she was just a rogue citizen, they didn't report her attempts to enter to Kong Li.

But there was other problems that she had to worry about - living on the streets and finding food and clean water. This became more and more challenging as the days went on. Food became scarcer and scarcer, even when looking in things such as dumpsters and garbage cans. People were stealing from supermarkets and even fast food restaurants, desperate to get some food. Sue didn't spend a lot of time looking for food, but she had found a little of edible food.

Sue had changed from now and nearly ten years ago. When she was five, she would steal from other people, even other homeless people just to get a bite to eat. But Nana had raised her well, Sue couldn't steal from others, especially since nearly all of Chinatown was homeless.

She didn't really focus on surviving as much as she should have. She wasn't eating as much, and what she did find, she ate right away, not even storing some for later in case she wouldn't find anything later.

Becoming obsessed with finding Kong Li and taking him down was taking it's toll on her, physically, and mentally too. All she focused on was finding Kong Li, and not taking care of herself. Sue was getting thinner already, and her strength was declining fast from lack of food. Her puncture wounds weren't healing. Her wounds were actually starting to hurt more and more each day. She only wore the clothes she had in the beginning of all this madness, her tank top, jeans, and the red jacket over the tank top, but the jacket had so many holes in it, it was starting to fall off her shoulders and she had to keep pulling it up to have a little relief from the cold night air. Her hair was matted, and looked like rats were living in it.

One day, about four days after turning into a mouse, Sue wandered the streets, thinking of a way to invade Kong Li's castle. Sue rubbed her arms and shivered as a cold rush of wind stung her skin like needles.

Sue kept going. Walking helped her think, and all she was thinking about was how to defeat Kong Li. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, and didn't notice that she had wandered into an area where the people who were homeless hung their laundry on clotheslines. The lines were connected between the old, half-destroyed buildings, and hung down low, or up high at least ten feet.

Since she was not watching where she was going, Sue walked right into one of the low clotheslines and got tangled in a black jacket that was hanging up drying. Sue screamed, then tried to fight the jacket, thinking it was another person attacking her. She kicked and punched at the jacket, trying to defend herself. When Sue saw the black fabric of the jacket, she immediately thought it was Kong Li's cape.

Sue growled, and pulled on the jacket and started palming and kicking the air around her. She was screaming curses at 'Kong Li', and continued to viciously attack the jacket.

"Damn you Kong Li!" Sue roared, getting even more tangled up in the jacket. She thrashed and screamed, trying to get 'Kong Li' off her.

People heard her angry screams and curses, and came out from the destroyed building and their makeshift homes to see what all the ruckus was about. They were shocked to see a teenage girl fighting and screaming at someone's jacket.

"She must have cracked after everything that's happened . . ." Someone whispered, and the other person nodded.

"Go and die Kong Li!" Sue screamed, then fell on her back after tripping. "I want to kill you so bad for taking my family away!" Sue finally got free, and threw the jacket off of her, and it fell in the dirt. She lowered in her defense stance, but then froze, and started to back away slowly, realizing what she had done, and realizing she was being watched.

"I just attacked someone's laundry, thinking it was Kong Li . . . I really have lost it have I?" Sue sighed. The witnesses to her display of craziness went back to their own problems once they saw the action was over. Everything was quiet again in the streets.

Taking a deep breath, Sue's stomach growled loudly. She growled back in annoyance. "I don't have time to eat! I have to defeat Kong Li, and get revenge for him killing everyone I cared about the most!"

Sue looked around one more time, then darted down the allies towards Kong Li's castle. She wasn't going to lose this time. Kong Li had to pay for what he had done.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue ran until she thought her heart would explode. Finally she was just around the corner from where all the construction was going on for the new 'King'. His castle was to be huge of course, and luxurious. Sue heard someone coming and ducked behind a dumpster.

Two shape-shifters were unloading a truck full of velvet curtains and a beautiful sofa that they had taken from the building that was once where Eunice lived. Just seeing the expensive items, Sue remembered Eunice and wondered what happened to her.

Sue hid behind the dumpster until the shape-shifters left the area. Once her attention wasn't on them or hiding, she realized she was shaking and her stomach was making loud noises. "Oh no, I feel awful." Sue had trouble getting up. Her legs felt so weak suddenly. "No, I don't have time to be sick. I have to take Kong Li down! But . . . I'm so cold, and thirsty . . . I'm not sure . . ."

Sue thought she was cold, really she was burning up with fever. Her wounds had become infected on top of everything else she had endured until now. She was in big trouble. She stood up and stepped from behind the dumpster. When she looked up, there stood Sid, Tobey an Nana, all smiling at her. "Sid! She cried and went toward him. Sid opened his arms like he would hug her and smiled.

When Sid started to speak, he changed. Sue slid to a stop and backed away, realizing that Sid, Tobey and Nana had been replaced by a shape shifter and two human thugs.

"Haha girl, you're hallucinatin'. Aren't ya? Who'd you think we were?"

"No – but I saw – no – you can't be!" Sue readied herself for a fight.

Even in her weakened condition, the two human thugs were easy for Sue to take down. One flew through the air and landed in an open trench on an innocent worker, already enslaved by Kong Li. The other fell back against the wall and slumped unconscious.

The shifter wasn't so easy, he tried to catch her in a tentacle. Sue barely reacted in time repeating, "Gei Kow No" her voice weak. Flame appeared over her palm and she shoved it into shift's tentacle. The tentacle burned in half, and the shifter quickly re-absorbed the stump. Sue took her chance and ran. The shifter grew wings and flew after her.

Sue ran around a corner and leapt down an open manhole into the sewers.

The shifter came around the corner too fast and didn't even see the manhole. He flew around for a while looking for her, but soon got distracted by something shiny and forgot all about her. The trinkets he found in a shop's window, he gathered up and hide for himself.

Wandering around in the sewer, at least Sue wasn't lost. She had been in the sewers many times as a young child and then more recently during their mission to stop Kong Li. Sue was thinking about how they failed and how events could have turned out this bad. Being in the sewers with all the dirty water, it wasn't the smell, as the sound of dripping water that reminded her how thirsty she was.

Sue was sure she recognized where she was. "I'm near Chung Li park, and the wishing well is close. That water used to be drinkable. I don't know where else I could find clean water. It won't take long and then I can get back to trying to get into Kong Li's castle to find him and make him pay for taking Sid, Tobey and Nana from me."

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue could hardly push the manhole cover to the side, but after great effort she got it open enough that her slender, too thin body could get through. She sat for a moment and looked around. There was already a crowd of people around the well. "Well that's just fine, I guess I won't be sneaking a drink from there."

Down the park a short way away, there was another mob of people yelling, some cheering, some shaking their fists. Many were being knocked away, and knocked unconscious by beings Sue recognized as shape-shifters who had taken different forms. Even though some had clothing on, they still had that dark translucent skin, and it really gave it away when they created large fists just to hit someone with, or grew wings to fly up and get ahead of the crowd.

It became obvious that the shifters and several other humans near the front of the moving crowd were protecting someone. Sue got low and ran closer, behind a row of bushes to watch. Who would shape shifters be protecting other than Kong Li himself? Her heart started racing.

Then she saw her enemy. It really was Kong Li himself. There he was walking confidently and carrying her Nana's cookbook. The wishing well still had four poles around it with a roof covering the well, a new pulley and rope were attached to a beam over the well. Locals had been drawing water out of it since the town lost it's running water. The poles and roof that had once been beautifully decorated, were now painted black with scary-looking gargoyle statues on each corner of the roof.

Sue realized what was happening. "Oh, no, Kong Li is going to try and cook his feast. He must have created dozen's of shape shifters to protect him and somehow transformed more people to serve him too. How am I going to stop him?"

Sue stayed low behind the bushes and moved up closer from behind the well. She stayed on the side that had a small, dry creek with a decorative bridge over it that she could hide behind. The bridge had been broken and that saddened her even more.

She grumbled, "Senseless destruction, just what Nana knew would happen."

When she saw the broken bridge. "Well the prophesy said that Kong Li would join with his son to do this. Maybe since Tobey, d'- . . . um - isn't here, the recipe won't work and the prophesy can't come true."

Sue watched Kong Li carefully as he opened the cookbook, and laid it on the well's edge. Sue lowered her eyes and then lowered her head, looking away, afraid to watch Kong Li take on all the power of the cookbook – and trying to think of a way to stop this all at once.

Another rustling in the crowd and voices shouting commands made Sue look up again. "Walk you reject . . . if you don't use you're legs - I will break them! But you'll still have to stand beside you're master."

Two thugs were half pushing - half dragging someone in chains to the well. Sue couldn't see very well through all the people watching, until they got close to the wishing well. The prisoner had black hair, and was very dirty. He stood with his hands bound by heavy chains behind his back. Sue concentrated harder to see him in the dark, not realizing at first that her vision was becoming blurry; her high fever taking it's toll on all her senses.

The reluctant prisoner wore a dirty, white tank top and dark pants with one leg missing completely, the other gone from from just above the knee and torn almost up to his hip. He wore no shoes or socks; his ankles wore shackles and chains, but the chain was just long enough he could take small steps. Sue could tell he was young, a teenager perhaps.

She couldn't see much of his hair. It was dirty, but very dark at least – and almost completely covering his face, there were two, dirty gray clothes tied around his head, one was a blindfold the other, a gag.

Kong Li smiled when he saw the prisoner getting close and announced to the crowd. "Now with this book, and the power contained in it – the prophesy will finally come true!" He held up his staff and his cape dramatically flared out behind him like there was a strong breeze on the still, chilly night. He continued, "Chinatown will become the center of the world! The world government will be here - with me as your King!"

Most of the crowd cheered, Sue thought they must be cheering only because they were afraid of Kong Li. Shifters had already banished all the people who showed up to protest and weren't afraid.

Kong Li turned toward the prisoner, "And my son has joined me - willing or not – Mwahahaha – he will watch me, his loving father - rise to power!"

"His son?" the realization of what Kong Li said was slow to sink in, Sue whispered, "Tobey?" and tried to see over the bushes and people blocking her view of the prisoner. "Could it really be . . . Tobey?"

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Tobey continued . . .


	3. Chapter 3

Human

Part 3

by Star and CQ - this chappy gets a little scarier, i think, Star, not so much XD Angst and Injury abound. Nobody's legs are missing, I don't kill or mame in my stories [at least not permanently].

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Kong Li grabbed the blindfold right between Tobey's eyes, even sticking his thumb in his eye in the process of yanking the blindfold off. Tobey moaned and cried through the gag in frustration. The knot pulled a chunk of what once was the natural white patch in his hair; now so dirty it was hard to see. His hair was matted and frizzy. Twisting in the thugs grip, they dragged him into better light.

Sue recognized Tobey's voice screaming angrily into the gag even before she saw his eyes. "Tobey, Oh my . . ." she whispered. "I can't be hallucinating again, can I?"

Tobey kept on trying to scream through the gag hoping someone would take pity on him and be able to help him although with Chinatown's residents either scared out of their wits, or joining Kong Li, he couldn't imagine who. He struggled and tried to kick Kong Li even with the heavy metal cuffs and chains cutting into his skin as he was forcibly brought before his 'father'.

With no warning, and just because he could, Kong Li jabbed Tobey in the stomach with the red dragon staff. Tobey groaned and doubled over. The two thugs holding his arms, dropped him and he landed on the ground on his knees and with his hands behind his back, his shoulder. The pain from the blow made his stomach cramp in a painful knot and when bending forward didn't bring him any relief, he rolled onto his side with his knees pulled up to his chest.

Sue watched the whole thing, whispering, "This can't be a hallucination! I wouldn't dream about Tobey suffering like that! I have to save him!"

Another thought occurred to her, "Tobey's alive - maybe Sid is too! I have to save him – I have to save both of them and maybe even Barney is still alive. I never actually saw his body."

Kong Li turned back to the cookbook and started adding things to the well-water. When the ingredients began to mix and he had added a few truly magical ingredients to the others; colorful steam and smoke started to rise, there were bubbles popping and creating sparks of magical energy over the well. Kong Li laughed maniacally as he added more things to the mix.

Most of the crowd backed up, afraid of what was going to happen in the well; even the thugs who seemed to be 'in charge' of Tobey backed away without him. He had been left alone, lying on his side in a fetal position only a few feet behind Kong Li.

Sue crept closer, staying down as low as possible so she wouldn't be seen. Tobey had his eyes squeezed shut. He didn't want to see his 'father' take on the power of the cookbook, and had given up trying to fight. Just when Sue thought she could reach Tobey's foot to drag him to the bushes, Kong Li turned around and kicked him! Tobey whined angrily through the gag. Sue froze.

"Son! Open your eyes and watch this!" The light from the magical reaction in the well was so bright, no one, including Kong Li noticed Sue. The magic sparked in the air, making swirling flashes of light all around them.

Kong Li picked Tobey up by the shackles on his wrists and pulled him backwards so the crowd could see that his son was 'with' him. Tobey cried out in pain, his restrained arms twisted way too high behind his back, but his son's pain wasn't why Kong Li changed the way he held him. Kong Li needed both hands to continue cooking, so he held Tobey against his chest with his arm around him to keep him up where he could watch – and where the crowd could see him.

"See Tobey, after all the work; the suffering and all the training you and your 'so called' family endured – you – still – lose! Don't worry though, you still have me – your real father!"

Tobey tried to kick Kong Li so he pushed him down, laughing his evil laugh. Tobey landed hard on the ground. The chains jangled loudly, the cuffs cut into his skin and he groaned in frustration, biting the gag angrily and glaring at Kong Li's back, thinking of all he wanted to do to his 'dad'.

The thugs came around the well and grabbed Tobey before Sue could get close to him again. She rolled under the bushes to avoid being seen.

Kong Li started waving his arms around, very dramatically, Light and energy that left puffs of smoke and fog shot around and flashed from his fingertips. Feeling 'all' powerful, Kong Li laughed evilly some more, very loudly, and held his palm out to the left and about half the crowd turned into Nian. The ferocious beasts roared proudly and most lie down facing Kong Li like patient, loyal hunting dogs. The others remained standing, as though they were guards during the festivities.

Three dozen Boar soldiers appeared in place of Chinatown's citizens after his next spell was cast. They squealed and pledged their allegiance to Kong Li with their heads bowed.

"Tobey my son, have you decided to join me yet?" Kong Li called out; the thugs who held him, yanked off his gag so he could answer, but he still refused to answer even though he could have, looking away, tears welling up in his eyes, thinking he would die first, and knowing that this time, it was likely to come to that.

Kong Li turned his back to him and made some more lizard people. One of the thugs laughed and put a black, canvas bag over his head, just to torture him and it worked, Tobey started screaming. "No! Please! Not now – not again! I can't breathe!"

Kong Li paused and smiled sideways, "My son is a pussy . . . sooo embarrassing. He is afraid of being even a little confined. Take the bag off his head, like he says – I have something better."

Kong Li waved his hand special, just for his son and the spell created a box, shaped a little like a human body, like Tobey's body from top to bottom. Sue watched helplessly as they dragged him over.

Even Tobey's skinny self barely fit, into the curved box and since he was fighting it took an extra minute to get him in. It was form fitting so tightly to his body that Kong Li must have measured. The shackles kept him from getting his heels all the way back, his toes still hung passed the edge where the lid would close. The chains and shackles on his wrists had a similar effect, no room behind him, his hips and stomach were pushed up in the way and the thugs had to push hard to close the lid.

"You're smashing me! Owww,ah,ah!" Tobey started crying there was no holding it back. They and locked the lid using clasps and pins around the edges, having to push like they were trying to close an over-stuffed suitcase. There was a narrow opening at eye level that Tobey could still see out of. Sue could see his frightened eyes, tears glistening in the magical light.

Kong Li paused just long enough to smile at his son, then closed the sliding cover over the little window making his son's new prison completely dark and closed off. Tobey was still yelling, but sounding more and more weak.

"And now, just so we can tell my son from the others with similar accommodations . . ." Kong Li waved his hand like he held a paint brush up the top of the casket. A wide, white streak appeared on the box where Tobey's white bangs would be. "Beautiful, that way when I come to have our special father – son talks, I will be sure I'm talking to the right prisoner! Mwahahaha."

As the feast and festivities continued, Sue was the only one still paying attention to Tobey. For a while, she could still hear Tobey's muffled sobs and screams, but so soon all the sound stopped. He had become so frightened and exhausted from being chained in a dark very tight box that he fainted soon after he started having chest pains. The silence from that box worried Sue just as much, or more as hearing him scream did.

Kong Li continued to make dozens of monsters, creatures and demons out of Chinatown's residence to serve him. He had a large army already and started sending them out in groups with orders to destroy property and round up more citizens.

Sue stared at the box with the white patch on the top and kept track of it as the thugs carried it away. She followed, staying in the shadows, whispering the whole time, talking to him, at least in her mind. She imagined that he could hear her and was answering, telling her that he was okay.

They leaned Tobey's box against a wrecked car at the edge of the park. Sue stayed low still, as she tried to circle around to get to the box without being seen. Kong Li was putting on a big show and had started to make a speech about how he would reward those who were loyal. They were still close enough she could hear every word, but everyone's attention was on him.

Sue crept up to the box from behind and started trying to get the locks undone, whispering, "Tobey, its been to quiet – you're never this quiet! Are you alright? Did you have had a heart attack or something? I can't lose you again!"

With everyone's attention on the villain, she got to work long enough, and with the help of a rock, she got the first latch open, near his knee. Out of breath and her own injuries slowing her down, she kept having to stop and hold her sore arm, where the owl clawed her. Her wound burned with infection and her whole arm had become nearly useless.

Sue kept whispering to Tobey while she worked, but never got an answer. "Tobey? Have you seen Sid?" She gritted her teeth and rose to work on the fourth latch, having finally gotten the first three open. That was when one of the thugs to saw her.

The thug smiled. Knowing he could handle her alone, he didn't alert anyone else, or say anything at all while he came up quietly behind her. He reached out with no warning and grabbed her hair. Sue yelped softly and tried to throw a punch at him, but she had no strength. She was spun around to face him and he grabbed her shoulder with his fingers in her wound.

She groaned and went limp. The thug tossed her to a shape-shifter waiting nearby. Shifty#382 grew a tentacle to catch her with, pinned her arms to her sides and turned her around and around in mid-air, wrapping more loops of the tentacle around her, and at the same time, took her out where Kong Li could see her.

Sue feebly kicked and cried, "Let me go! I have to . . . save . . . Tobey and take Kong Li . . . out!" Sue was out of breath and in such severe pain she thought she would pass out any second.

"Kong Li, this girl in the crowd was trying to release you're favorite prisoner. She said she is going 'take you out', my lord."

Kong Li glared at his enemy for a moment. Her hair was dirty, matted even and down around her shoulders. Her face was dirty. Yet he was sure he knew her. After only a moment, recognition washed across his face.

"Well, Little Sue Yi! I thought you died under that 'Oaf Wu' when he fell on you. How fortuitous that you come here to threaten me in public! We shall have a public execution for you as well, so all can see you suffer – and know what will happen to anyone who tries to betray me!"

The shifter quickly tied Sue's hands together. Kong Li instructed, "Take her to the dungeon. We have preparations to make for a public execution, and I don't want her interrupting my feast anymore than she already has!"

The thug picked Sue up easily. He put her over his shoulder and the shifter put a quick wrap around her ankles, binding them together. "I don't think shes gonna try to run." The thug argued, not seeing the point.

"I don't think she could run, but it'll look better when we parade her in front of others on the way to Kong Li's dungeons."

"No, please – you have to let me go!"

They ignored her, completely. The other thug knocked the box with Tobey inside, onto a low, Nian-drawn platform that they had been using to move building materials.

Sue was thrown face-down, on top of Tobey's box and the two thugs stood one in front and one behind on the platform. Sue yelled at the box she was lying across, "Tobey wake up! You have to be okay! Have you seen Sid or Barney? Are they still alive too? . . . Please wake up!"

"Shut up – prisoner!" One thug roughly grabbed a handful of Sue's hair and yanked her head back. The other stuffed a rag into her mouth. The pair of Nian roared and loped slowly along taking them to the dungeon.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue was barely conscious, exhausted from all that had happened, not to mention the infections and her rising fever. Her chest hurt and it was getting harder to breath. She forced herself to stay awake; to stay alert enough to know where she was and where they were taking her. Still scared to death for Tobey, she kept whining at the box, and weakly hitting the box with her tied up ankles. She was so happy that he was alive, but so upset about what he had to go through.

Sue's vision was blurry again, and she realized that she was very ill. But this time, her vision was blurry because of the wall of tears in her eyes. Sue laid her head down on the box, and placed her ear on the surface of the box, and listened closely for any signs of life. After a few minutes, there was raspy, heavy breathing coming from inside of the box!

Sue whined, then started to inch over to where she saw the sliding piece at Tobey's eye level of the tomb-like box. She thought that maybe she could used her nose to push it open so she could see him. But before she could try, she started coughing, and her whole body shook with pain with each cough. With the gag in her mouth, just breathing became more and more difficult, and her coughing fit didn't subside.

One of the thugs turned around after hearing her coughing, unable to stop. He asked his partner, "Hey, do you think we should take out that gag?"

"Why?" he asked, a bit stunned at the suggestion.

"Kong Li wants her alive for her execution later. Instead of her dying by not being able to breathe, he would want her to die a slow painful death at his hands, right?"

His partner nodded so he bent down, and roughly yanked out the cloth, startling Sue completely. She yelped, then started taking in deep, raspy breaths. Even though the cloth was out, she was still coughing, and her lungs hurt with each breath.

Sue laid her head down against the box, finally be able to stop her coughing. She whispered very quietly, "Tobey . . . please answer me . . . please let me know for sure that you're alive . . . "

The raspy breathing stopped inside the box, and Sue's heart started to race. Then, after a few moments, Tobey spoke softly, nervously, "Who . . . who's talking to me . . . ? Someone please get me out!"

Sue smiled, tears running down her cheeks. "Tobey . . . it's me . . . " she had to stop to cough again, and this time she coughed up a bit of blood. She sighed and continued, "It's me . . . Sue . . . "

"Su . . . Sue . . . ? Is that really you? No . . . it can't be . . . Sue died when Kong Li took over . . . I must be dreaming . . . " he whispered, but Sue could hear him clearly.

"No Tobey . . . it's really me . . . I didn't die . . ." Sue coughed again, hoping she wouldn't cough up a lung by the time they got to the dungeon. "I'm right here . . . if I could open this box, I would . . . I want to see your face again so badly, it hurts inside . . .I love you . . . Tobey."

There was a long pause, then Tobey spoke again. "Sue . . . it really is you isn't it? I'm so happy . . . I love you too." he whimpered with frustration about not being able to see her, and about how uncomfortable he was, he was so hurt and lost that he didn't even realize he had finally admitted his feelings to her. He had always been too afraid and nervous to say anything before.

Sue sighed, then winced when her chest started to hurt again. "I'm so happy your alive too Tob . . ."

Sue was too close to passing out to be aware of the Nian coming to a halt in front of Kong Li's castle. They grunted and waved their tails as a door opened on the side of the castle, and two shape shifters walked out. They walked onto the platform, then roughly pushed Sue off the box. She yelped at the sudden movement, then looked up at the shifters. They growled at her, then lifted the box up and away from her. Tobey started screaming again when he felt the box being lifted, and Sue called for him, sounding very weak.

"Come on princess, your turn." One of the human thugs grinned at her, then lifted her over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and started to walk towards the castle. Being too weak to fight anymore, she fell limp as the thug carried her inside, but she was not unconscious.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

The thug carried her towards where the prisoners were kept in small, dirty cages in the walls, and then continuing past that, there was a portion of the wall that had shackles and anklets, probably for the prisoners that did something bad, or who Kong Li just didn't like.

Unfortunately, Sid was one of those prisoners. His leg hung at a weird angle from the untreated break he got in the fight, where they lost Nana and the world pretty much ended. Sid had been unconscious in the restaurant and didn't know that they had lost Nana at the time, but after a while, Tobey told him that he had seen Nana die. It took him a long time before he was even able to say it, he still couldn't tell Sid how she died, not that it mattered.

Sid's leg was healing strangely, becoming fused at the joint, while he hung from the chains in Kong Li's dungeon and he could no longer bend his knee at all. He thought all day and night about how he had once been strong, and now he was crippled and with Kong Li in charge, he knew no medical care would ever happen for him.

Sid looked up when he heard the door open, and saw the thug carrying what looked like to be a girl about his age, maybe a year younger. She was obviously tied up, and she wasn't moving, but she was mumbling something that he couldn't hear from where he was chained to the wall.

The thugs carried the girl over to where Sid was. He looked up at them, and growled angrily at them. They dropped the girl in front of his feet, and he yelped with surprise for her they were treating her so roughly. The girl whined with pain when she landed on her shoulder, and she mumbled, "I . . . I'm going to save . . . Tobey . . . Sid . . . take down . . . Kong . . . Li . . . " She coughed, and Sid saw some blood from her mouth land on the ground under her head.

Sid kept staring at her, thinking he knew her from somewhere. Her voice, even though it was hoarse and scratchy, sounded familiar and he thought he heard her say his and Tobey's names.

"Who are you? I think I know you?" he begged her to talk to him. Her matted hair was the same raven black as his, and when she opened her eyes, and looked up at him, Sid gasped, realizing who she was, but he didn't say anything for fear they would be even harder on her, if they knew she was his sister, and one of Mei Hua's former guardians.

The larger of the thugs grinned at Sid. "You'll have some company until her execution." Sid's eyes grew wide at the word 'execution'. He realized how he remembered this girl, and she couldn't get killed! Not after being apart so long!

The other thug then lifted the girl's skinny frame easily and pushed her against the wall next to Sid. She turned her head to stare at him as cuffs were locked around her wrists. Chained to the wall she slumped down, against her restraints before she was sure she hadn't just dreamed that she saw Sid.

"There, she's taken care of. Let's go find Kong Li so we can prepare for her execution." he told the other thug, and he nodded in agreement. They looked one more time at their prisoners, smiling at a job well done, then walked away.

Sid leaned toward her as much as he could, and said softly, "Sue . . . Is that really you?"

Sue picked her head up and coughed. She looked at her brother, and smiled, tears running down her cheeks. "Sid . . . your alive . . . I can't believe it," she kept coughing, having another bad fit that made her whole body shake.

"Sue . . . I'm so happy your alive . . . I'm so thankful." Sid smiled, then noticed details about the condition his sister was in. Her ripped clothing, filthy body, matted hair, and too thin figure made him frown and remember his childhood. "Sue . . . don't tell me that you were living on the streets were you? I never wanted you to go through that again . . . especially not alone."

Sue sighed, then took a deep breath, trying to stop coughing long enough to talk to him. "Yeah, I had nowhere else to go." she managed to say before she coughed again.

"Sue, are you sick or something? You don't look good . . . I mean, even worse than having been living on the streets – and what happened to your shoulder?" Sue didn't answer him. He sighed, worried about her and wanting so badly to hug her or do anything to make her feel better, he temporarily forgot his own pain and discomfort.

Sue tensed up, seeing their enemy approach. Sid saw too, Kong Li walked right up to stand before them. He smirked, and two male shape shifters were standing beside him. Sid looked very nervous, and Sue was just trying not to choke on the blood she was coughing up.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Every time Kong Li had shown up in the dungeons since Sid was captured, it meant him some sort of pain or discomfort and sometimes Mink and Dawn would show up in-between Kong Li's visits just to bother him. This time Kong Li looked especially pleased with himself, and that made Sid cringe. Fear welled up inside him, tying his stomach in a knot and not just for himself – now Sue was there with him and he was afraid of what he would do to her.

He had been so happy to see her alive, that now he wondered if it wouldn't have been kinder to her if she hadn't survived. He sure didn't want her to have to go through anything that he had, helpless, and hopeless in Kong Li's dungeons.

Although frightened nearly out of his mind, Sid was still thinking clearly enough to realize that Tobey wasn't with Kong Li, even though he had taken him away hours earlier, saying he was taking him to a feast. The chains Tobey usually hung from were empty. Sue had been placed in Barney's chains. It had been days since Sid had seen Barney too.

Kong Li looked the siblings over, but decided to torment his newest prisoner first. His voice snapped Sid out of his thoughts.

"Awe, Little Sue Yi. You really don't look well."

Cough-cough, "Yeah . . . I keep hearing that . . . thanks." cough.

"No matter . . . you won't survive long anyway, in fact we all thought you were already dead, but now, you must survive long enough to be executed. Maybe I should move you're execution ahead on the schedule, thought it would have have been fun to have you here for a while, so your brother could spend his hours, hearing you scream."

Kong Li reached toward Sue's matted hair, gently like he would lovingly brush her hair out of her eyes. Not wanting to find out what Kong Li might do to her, Sid desperately tried to get his attention off of his sister, asking, "What did you do with Tobey? How come you didn't bring him back with you?"

"My son - my special project, has other accommodations. I'm helping him to get very close to his fear of small places. It is good to _know_ ones fear, intimately - don't you think?"

Sue was coughing so hard again that she couldn't speak, but she heard the fear in her bother's voice when he reacted physically – struggling and making his chains clank. "No! You can't keep torturing him . . . please don't do that to him anymore! . . . How can you? You monster! He's your son!" Sid wanted to scream, but was much too weak.

"That's you're opinion Sid, I think it will make him a better person, or at least a better slave. Already, his will to live seems to be wasting away. Now, both of you wait here just a moment, I have to go tell the guards to get ready for Sue's execution sooner than first scheduled. Kong Li whistled a happy little tune as he ran up the stairs, taking four at a time he was so excited.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Sue didn't know what was going on, but Sid knew what Kong Li meant, and had a good idea about what he was doing to their best friend.

He had been torturing Tobey every day since he captured him, by locking him in any small, confining, suffocating place that occurred to him.

Coffins, cabinets, and a Tobey-sized hole he had built into the stone floor, next to his throne in the assembly room somewhere above the dungeons where he met with his generals. He enjoyed Tobey's screams and pitiful whining in the background, thinking it gave his meetings the proper atmosphere.

Every night, after he was chained next to Sid again, Kong Li put a heavy bag over Tobey's head and when he was sufficiently scared and Kong Li was about to get bored, he suffocated his son by pressing his own hands over Tobey's mouth and nose, through the bag. Kong Li enjoyed feeling his son's life leave his body – it made him feel even more powerful.

Just when Tobey stopped breathing, and his body gave up even trying to breath, Kong Li would calmly take the bag off his head and holding his head back by his hair, touch his lips with a spoonful of eucalyptus tree extract mixed with jellyfish blood; the base magic potion to restore breath to a drowning victim, if given quickly enough.

The ritual was perfect to let Tobey experience his greatest fear; dying while trapped in a small, dark place, at least once a day. Sid got to where he couldn't watch anymore, pleading with Kong Li didn't help, in fact he thought it might have even made the torture take even longer than it would have, so he just hung in his chains helplessly and sobbed quietly, while Tobey went through the nightmare, over and over.

Tobey had been very resilient the first day, smiling when it was over and telling Sid that he was okay; reminding Sid that he was the bravest and strongest of the three of them. But now, he was withdrawn and silent. Rarely uttering a word and still, Kong Li tortured him.

Tobey spoke more in his sleep that when he was awake these days. Sleeping while hanging in the chains next to Sid, only the night before, he started talking in his sleep, saying over and over, "I don't want to be brave. I'm not the strongest; I just want it to end – I don't want to wake up this time."

Sid had tears in his eyes just thinking about it. Fortunately for Sid, Kong Li didn't know what he was most afraid of, so his torture was more general, usually having to do with denying food and water, staying chained up for days and nights with no relief and smearing peanut butter between his toes to make the rats come lick and bite his feet.

He wore only his boxers so didn't have any protection from the rats or cold from clothing. He didn't get much sleep; ever, and even slept less on the nights Kong Li remembered to bring peanut butter with him on his evening visit. With one leg rendered useless, it was hard to keep kicking the rats off using only his other leg, and he couldn't bend his knee to get his foot up higher.

Unfortunately Kong Li _did_ know what Sue's greatest fear was.

Losing her brother. He could tell just by watching the two of them, whether he was fighting with them, or just spying on them, he recognized the special, family love between them, because he had felt that way about Mei Hua once; when they were small children and still innocent.

Sue's other fear, Kong Li beating them in the battle for Chinatown; hurting Nana and taking over, was high on her list of things to be afraid of, but since that had already happened in the worst way possible, the evil man knew there was only one way to torture her enough to get his satisfaction before he had her executed.

Kong Li came back to the dungeon with the first two male shifters he ever created, and the two shifter girls came this time too.

A few more animal-guards followed, but stayed well back. They hadn't really been invited to join them, but really wanted to watch.

"So Little Sue Yi, are you still awake?"

"Yes . . . you jerk."

"Now now, is that any way to talk to your brother's executioner? I'll only make his death more painful if you get nasty with me."

"My brother's executioner? . . . No! Please - you can't!"

"I can, and its your fault 'Little Sue'. I am only going to kill him, for my revenge against you. I can't punish Mei Hua anymore for my imprisonment and all the times she and you three got in my way. So I will get my revenge on you. I know the most upsetting thing that I can do to you, is take him away from you.

Kong Li was already standing too close to Sid. He grabbed a fist full of his hair and forced him to turn his head so Sue could see his pained expression. "Sue, don't worry. It'll be fine . . . even . . ."

Kong Li knocked Sid in the head with his red staff just for fun and to shut him up. "All your pointless brave-talk makes me sick you reject."

Sid squeezed his eyes shut, but looked up again right away when he felt something touching him. Mink and Dawn had their tentacles on him again, this time, unchaining him from the wall.

Sue fought to keep her own eyes open, watching what they would do to Sid, praying for a chance to help him. She pulled weakly at her own chains. A knot in her stomach, she hadn't seen anyway out of this. This time she feared she really would lose her brother.

One of the male shifters spoke up, "But master, wouldn't it be more fun to kill both of them in public execution?"

"No, the boy is useless, and no one would care if he died, except Sue. Now Sue on the other hand, I really want to hurt her, and killing him in front of her is the most terrible thing I could do to her. Also she interrupted my feast. All those people saw her try to defy me by releasing my son and threaten me! We just have to get on with this, I don't think she has long to live anyway. And besides . . . Gow Kai . . . NOW." Kong Li stuck his fist in the nosy shape-shifter's chest and lit him up. "NEVER question me." The shifter turned into a puddle of goo.

Unchaining Sid wouldn't have taken so long, but Mink stopped to trace his chest muscles with her tentacle, while she had a little fantasy and Dawn tried to kiss him on the lips. Sid gritted his teeth and turned away with his eyes shut.

"Ewe! Stop it!" Sue cried angrily kicked at her with what little strength she had left. "Don't touch my bro like that!"

"I'll touch him however I like, as long as it's okay with my master." She looked at Kong Li. He grinned approvingly, happy that their antics upset Sue even more apparently.

Dawn laughed and kissed him right on the lips while Mink released one of his arms. Even knowing he had no chance to get away, Sid still threw a punch at her as soon as he felt his wrist released. Dawn only caught his hand in her tentacle and licked his cheek with a slimy purple tongue. Mink uncuffed and grabbed his other hand and together, they pulled him away from the wall. The two male shifters unchained Sue and held her facing her brother, just a few feet away so she would have to watch.

Dawn was still bothering Sid, unable to control herself. She licked both cheeks and across each eye with a long, purple tongue, tasting the salt dried on his skin from sobbing for Tobey each night. Then she stuck her tongue in his ear. He squealed with disgust and struggled. Mink kicked him in the leg, his injured leg that she knew would hurt him the most.

"Aaaah! My leg! Dammit! Just tell them to get this over with Kong Loser! Don't you have some flies to pull the wings off of or something?"

"No Sid, you and you're sister are the only ones I will be tearing apart tonight."

"No . . . Sid! Kong Li! Isn't there anything you want? Is there anything I can do to make this stop and save Sid?"

"Not really Sue, but thanks for askin'."

In preparation for Kong Li to begin, Mink and Dawn pulled Sid's arms out to the side to hold him still, Dawn wrapped a tentacle around his legs, rendering even his uninjured leg useless.

With Sid struggling futilely, Kong Li grabbed his nose and forced the top rim of a glass vial, full of brown liquid into his mouth. Struggling, Sid accidentally bit the vial and crushed it. The broken glass cut his lips and gums, blood filled his mouth quickly and mixed with the already disgusting brown stuff.

"W-what are you d-d-doing to him?" Sue sobbed, what little composure she still had was rapidly running out.

"Poisoning him, so you can watch him suffer as he dies a horrible, painful, drawn-out needlessly, death.

Sid was trying to stay composed for Sue's sake, not wanting to upset her by screaming and crying or even showing that he was already in pain, but it was getting harder. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Just in case I can't say it later; I have to say it now, I'll miss you and Tobey, Sue . . . I love you."

That was more than Sue could stand, out of threats, begging and even out of breath, Sue just cried hysterically as she watched Sid lean forward, unable to hide the pain anymore, he screamed, "Aaaannnnn," his stomach felt like it was on fire, or like his guts were being burned away by acid. Which really was what Kong Li's poison was doing to his insides.

Just as the potion punched through Sid's belly, the damage now visible on the outside. The shifter twins, Mink and Dawn 'eeked'; surprised themselves at the horrible affect the poison had. They released his arms and he fell, but not before, just briefly, Sue could see through her brother, all the way to his spine.

"SIIIIIID!"

His body jerked twice after he fell and then he was motionless. Most of his internal organs and flesh gone.

"Well, that was fun." Kong Li chuckled softly. "Let her say goodbye to her brother, or what's left of him, one more time - You're next, Little Sue Yi, but we have to go back to the well for your public execution. Perhaps I will use the same method – that poison is very effective!"

the Shifters let Sue fall, she crawled over to lie over Sid's body,

sobbing uncontrollably.

In Sues physical condition the added stress put on her body, her lungs especially, was too much for her. Not getting enough air to sob, or even cough anymore, Sue thought what she was feeling must be like drowning would feel.

She gave up even trying to breath, surrendering, not wanting to fight anymore at all with Sid gone. If she had thought for even one second that she had the tiniest chance of saving Tobey, she would have tried to hold on, but her faith in herself and anything else was completely gone.

[[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

As her chest and abdominal muscles contracted for the last time, not moving any air, she could hear Kong Li cursing as he realized that Sue wouldn't live long enough for the public execution.

Suddenly, the dungeon shook and was suddenly flooded with warm, comforting light.

The guards all at the same time, froze - stationary like statues. The shifters, created by dark magic in the first place and not real anyway, each vanished in a puff of smoke.

Kong Li froze in place at first too, but then vanished. Somehow, Sue was still aware, and heard "I wish I had the power to end your miserable life. So much suffering you have caused. But that is the nature of being human, there is suffering. It really sucks doesn't it?"

Sue cried, "But who are you? What's going on?"

"I'm sorry it went this far Sue, we aren't usually allowed to interfere in such human things, but this is just too much."

"But who's 'we' what do you mean interfere with 'human things'? - I don't understand." Sue sniffled, finding herself warm for the first time in what seemed like forever, she was amazed that she seemed to still be alive, but still refusing to let go of Sid's body, she rose up only enough to try and see where the strange voice was coming from.

When she moved, she realized her shoulder no longer hurt, and she was no longer dizzy. She wiped her tears on the back of her hand, and put her arm back under Sid's shoulder, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry children. I'm so sorry you had to go through this. It was not my idea - and I have been fighting for you in another realm, trying to make it stop, but I was injured and now I was too late to spare you from everything you went through.

What, who's speaking? I can't see you, too bright.

"Sorry, cant help it." The shadows changed a little and now Sue could just make out a handsome young man, and the light behind him made him look exactly like he had very large, graceful white bird's wings. One hung a little lower than the other, and had a few dirty feathers near the joint.

Sue blinked, thinking she was hallucinating again. "Wow, handsome. This is the nicest hallucination I've had since I dreamed Tobey and Sid were happy and with me. Am I dead?"

"You aren't hallucinating my child, and you're not dead. I got special permission to appear to you so you would understand. Kong Li has connections to the lower realms that you can't even imagine right now and you're place on this earth, your destiny, has not been fulfilled yet, and you will be very important one day, but I am only allowed to tell you that much, to help restore some hope to you."

"Impossible, there is no hope – for Tobey, for my brother – I don't want to go on without them – I can't defeat Kong Li and save everyone alone. I can't do it without my family."

"You won't have to, my child."

The brightness of the light increased, and Sue felt Sid's body jerk under her. She rode up a little not really believing what she felt, but when she looked into his face, his eyes opened. She looked down at his stomach, and saw he was whole again!

"Sid!" she squealed and started crying again. He effortlessly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back down for a tight hug. While his mouth was near her ear he whispered, "Wow . . . Sue? How did you save me?"

"I didn't, he did." Sue looked up. Sid rolled onto his side a little to see where she pointed, the angel was standing near his head.

Sue stood up, realizing her body didn't hurt anymore, her injuries were healed. She leaned down to help Sid up. He braced, thinking it would really hurt, but almost collapsed just from surprise when he realized his knee would bend - his leg was perfect and completely healed, even the infected sores on his feet from the rat bites were gone.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice still sounded shaky.

"You're sister can tell you what I've told her, don't worry, but I have to go, still have things to do to fix this, but I suggest you get out of this place as quickly as you can."

"Wait! What about Tobey? Is he okay too?"

"You'll find him in one of the rooms above, look for him. He won't remember all that's happened as well as you will. He went through so much, he would be changed forever, even becoming an invalid, if he remembered everything he went through. I suggest you don't tell him. I know you two are strong enough to help each other recover from this, and remembering will help you have compassion and power to set things right again in the future."

"But why not Tobey? He is strong too – he can take it – and we need him."

"He wasn't meant to experience what he did, it has already changed him, and not for the better. Don't worry, I know he is strong and compassionate and will continue to grow and help others without having experienced what he went through. If you had experienced even half of the suffering that he did, I wouldn't let you remember either."

With that statement, the dim, dungeon atmosphere returned. Sid turned and hugged Sue again. So happy to have his sister back, alive and well, he felt weak-kneed. She did too, but both had been returned to perfect physical health. Neither one of the teens even had a zit!

Sid still hung onto Sue's hand as they ran up the steps to find Tobey and leave like the angel had told them to.

There was a huge room at the top of the steps, a little ahead and to the left, was the huge exit, the heavy wooden doors stood open. All of Kong Li's guards, minions, creatures and slaves were frozen. The creatures were ether vanishing or returning to humans one, by one. The building began to shake, and bits of the corners were dissolving as the angel used his powers to set everything right and put Chinatown back the way it should be.

After quickly scanning the large room for Tobey, they realized he wasn't there. "He must be in one of the rooms, off this main room! I'm still worried, if he was released and healed like we were, why hasn't he come out to meet us?"

"I don't know Sue, start opening doors, we have to find him before this building vanishes."

They each ran to different doors, throwing them open. Slave quarters, meeting rooms all with a throne in the middle and even a bedroom were what these rooms were about. Sid thew a door open and saw someone, but not Tobey.

It was Barney, wearing a Court Jester suit, like the ultimate clown; he had been sitting with his head in his hands sobbing about his fate, still missing his dad. When he saw Sid, he jumped up, happy to see him, but also very embarrassed.

Sid yelled over the rumbling, "Come on Barney! We have to go."

"But whats going on? I was hoping this was a dream, are you in my dream?"

"Yeah Barn, I'm in you're dream - RUN, get out of here - I promise you'll feel better, we'll meet you outside."

"Okay, Dad's gonna be really angry that I fell asleep in the kitchen again."

"It'll be okay Barn. "

"Okay." Barney didn't sound sure, but ran like Sid told him too. Once he was outside, he looked down at himself, and saw he was wearing his favorite shirt and pants again, just like he really had woke up from a dream. Relieved he ran all the way back to Wu's Garden, thinking he had been sleepwalking. He didn't remember any of the bad stuff either.

Sue had started calling Tobey's name, her strong voice returned and echoing loudly throughout the castle. She came to the last door in the farthest corner and flung it open, thinking her heart would break into a thousand pieces if Tobey wasn't here.

She still didn't see Tobey, but she did see the Tobey-shaped coffin with the white bangs that Kong Li imprisoned him in. Sid joined her, just in time to see her trying to get the lid open. Realizing what she was doing, he helped her take the remaining pins out that held the lid closed and they threw the lid completely off. Sid saw Sue's shoulder's shaking like she was crying when she dropped to her knees, bent over, staring at Tobey.

Tobey's eyes were closed, a soft pleasant expression on his face, but he hadn't woke up. "Tobey?" She didn't really notice that he at least looked cleaner than he had the last time she saw him, and the shackles and chains were gone. Sue found his hand under his butt and pulled it out to hold. She looked at Sid, "But the angel said he would be okay! What happened?"

"I don't know Sue."

"Its not fair!" Sue's trebling was followed by tears spilling down her cheeks. "Tobey! Please!"

with his eyes closed still, Tobey smacked his lips sleepily and pulled his hand out of her grip, to try to roll over. "I don't want to go to school, I'm sleeping!"

Sue and Sid gasped and started laughing. Sue shook Tobey awake and practically yanked him up as the box around and under him vanished.

"Come On!" Tobey still protested. "I feel like I haven't sleep in weeks – I really don't want to go to school today." he stretched with his arms high over his head. Sid chucked at his friend, "No Tob, no school. We gotta go though."

"Oh . . ." When they walked out of the room Tobey seemed to remember something. "Oh no! How could I have gone to sleep? We were fighting, Kong Li captured us; I thought; did he hurt Nana? I saw him cooking the feast – how could you guys let me go to sleep?"

"Um, you were really tired Tobey. We handled everything." Sid assured him, "but now I really want to get home and see Nana."

"Me too, I'm right behind you." Sue started jogging and passed both boys.

Then Sid and Tobey joined her. It didn't matter which direction they ran, all directions led back to Wu's Garden at that point. Sid glanced back at the 'castle' just before they went around a corner and the castle was gone, replaced by a parking lot and a street vendor trying to sell fried onion blossoms on the sidewalk. Sid smiled and faced ahead just in time to see Sue and Tobey had stopped. Their bikes and helmets were right in front of them on the sidewalk.

Tobey hugged his bike. "My bike! Why do I feel like I haven't seen my bike in a while?" Tobey thought for a moment. "Because I haven't, something really terrible happened didn't it?"

"Well, it wasn't great." Sue muttered, wondering how much of what happened, Tobey would remember on his own.

"Did Kong Li steal my bike?"

"No Tobey, he doesn't want you're bike."

"Good. But then, what did happen?"

"Doesn't matter now - lets just find Nana, its important." Sue rode off without waiting for them and in only minutes, she rode up on the sidewalk in front of Wu's garden so fast that she almost went through the door.

She and the boys threw off their helmets and ran inside. Nana was standing in the middle of the dining room looking at the magic cookbook in her hands and looking very confused. "I don't know what's going on kids . . . I just turned around and suddenly I was standing here holding the cookbook. I was sure I locked it in the scholar stone; I must be losing my mind."

Without bothering to answer their confused Nana, Sue and Sid ran up and hugged her and caught up in the moment, Tobey joined in the group hug. He just didn't know why his friends were showing all the emotion, but it was still awesome. He was feeling very strange, and lost for some reason.

"Wow, that was nice kids. What's the occasion?"

"We love you Nana." Sue spoke up first. They thought Nana might remember, until they realized that she had died when it all started, so she didn't witness very much to remember.

Just then Mr. Wu could be heard yelling from the kitchen, "Where have you been Barney? We're out of Lemon Chicken! I thought was going to have to make it myself! And you never did finished cutting up the onions."

Sid and Sue smiled 'knowingly' at each other and Tobey noticed. Nana went to take the cookbook to the scholar stone and they sat down together in a both, Sue next to Tobey. Sid and Sue were a little nervous about saying too much in front of him since the angel told them not to tell him everything that happened and they didn't know how much he remembered. It didn't seem like he remembered anything much since the fight, and didn't remember that clearly.

"Guys, when I saw Nana, I . . . you'll think I'm crazy – I remembered that she had died; the vision I saw was so strong, I felt very sad, and even lost for a moment. It must have been a dream, right?"

"It must have been a dream - she's fine right, Tobey? You just saw her." Sid looked at Sue, hoping for guidance.

"Yeah, but I have this weird feeling; like I'm forgetting something important."

"Na, couldn't be, buddy; I'm going up to get a shower. When I'm done, wanna ride to the arcade to wait for deliveries to start?"

"Okay Sid, but I wanna talk to Sue for a minute."

"You should probably get a shower too, stinky."

"Naw, I'm fine – I already feel refreshed for some reason – though I may stick my head in the pond later to rinse out my hair. It doesn't feel as luscious as usual."

Sid rolled his eyes, but smiled, "Okay buddy, get ready to loose your quarters." Sid ran up the steps noticing how good his leg felt, and how good he felt all over.

In the booth, Sue scooted closer to Tobey, trapping him against the wall and found his hand to hold. She made him blush before he could even start talking, but he swallowed a giggle and asked, "What really happened? I have these images of terrible things going on in my head, I'm sure something happened that I can't remember and you guy's aren't telling me, I'm also sure you tried to save me from something, but couldn't because you were very sick. I know I wasn't dreaming it."

"What do you think happened, Tobey?" Sue was still being cautious, waiting to see what he knew.

"I think I saw an angel. An angel that saved all of us. He told me that you, me and Sid were destined to have a very important role in protecting lots of people from something very bad someday. It could only be Kong Loser, right?"

"I think so. I saw the angel too Tobey, and I heard him say the same thing. I didn't say anything at first; I was hoping he let you see him too; um . . . otherwise you would think I was crazy if I said anything." Sue admitted.

"Did Sid see him too?"

"No, he was um . . . hurt and was unconscious at the time, but I told him what I heard. I'm not sure how much he believed, but he couldn't argue that he had been hurt, and after the angel appeared he had been healed." Sue was still holding back, hoping Tobey wouldn't ask questions that she was told not to answer.

"Did the angel tell you that he had been fighting in another 'realm' for the power to help us and did he look injured to you?"

"Yes, what ever he had to fight, must have been terrible."

"And powerful . . . guess being human isn't the only form of existence after all, huh?"

"No Tobey, I guess we have seen proof of that, but I think we shouldn't talk about it. We weren't shown the truth by the angel to 'tell' others, but to 'save' others from something."

"Yeah, I understand, and no one would believe us anyway.

"Sue, I was really happy when you said you loved me, but what did you mean, exactly."

"What did you mean."

"Oh you heard me? Um, well . . . I meant I hope I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

"It sound's like we're destined to spend our lives together anyway."

Sue tilted her head a little and closed her eyes. Tobey grinned and did the same, but he closed his eyes too soon and missed her mouth. He kissed her nose.

They both cracked up. Sharing the first laugh they'd had in a long time and somehow knew it. Tobey gently, carefully placed his hand behind Sue's neck and guided her close again. She smiled, her cheeks red and this time Tobey's aim was dead-on.

[END]


End file.
